An Anne Arundel County judge ruled Wednesday that Maryland Democrats’ congressional redistricting initiative cannot be put to voters on November’s general election ballot.
Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat who has long championed Maryland joining the nationwide redistricting drive, said the State Board of Elections has filed an appeal of the decision to the state’s Supreme Court.
Circuit Court Judge Robert Thompson ruled that the attempt to redraw Maryland’s congressional map ran afoul of the state’s legal procedures to propose such a constitutional amendment.
Judge Thompson said part of the proposed ballot language was misleading because it suggested that Maryland’s constitutional rules on legislative districts applied to state offices but not federal offices.
He wrote that the constitutional rules on legislative districts have always applied at the state and federal levels.
“Because the legislature did not follow the very laws it enacted, the court finds the enactment of HB2100 to be legally deficient,” the judge wrote.
The ruling gives a momentary victory to the state’s Republican minority, which tried in vain to thwart the redistricting effort this month in the General Assembly controlled by a Democratic supermajority.
Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland’s lone congressional Republican whose district is being targeted by the amendment, said the state’s Democratic leaders stepped on a rake while trying to erase his seat.
“Governor Moore and Annapolis Democrats violated their own law passed in April when they wrote deceptive ballot language in a hurriedly called special legislative session in an attempt to change Maryland’s Constitution and pave the way for an extreme partisan gerrymander targeting the 1st District,” he said in a statement.
“Marylanders deserve fair representation, not politicians changing the rules to eliminate a congressional seat they cannot win at the ballot box,” Mr. Harris said.
But Mr. Moore said an appeal is necessary as Maryland looks to have all eight of its congressional seats filled by Democrats.
“At a moment when states across the country are manipulating congressional maps to silence voters and undermine fair representation, Maryland cannot afford to sit on our hands,” the governor said in a statement. “We believe Maryland voters deserve the opportunity to make their voices heard, and we will continue fighting to ensure they can.”
Others, including Senate President Bill Ferguson, held firm that the courts will ultimately rule in Democrats’ favor.
Mr. Ferguson was initially hesitant to join the redistricting fray earlier this year, saying the maneuver would backfire and cost Democrats a congressional seat on appeal.
But he came around to redrawing the maps after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down key elements of the Voting Rights Act this spring.
The proposed amendment would change state laws to allow Maryland to join the redistricting race in the 2028 election.
President Trump kicked off the fight last summer, when he pressed conservative-led states to revamp their maps to preserve a slim 218-212 Republican majority in the U.S. House.
Eight Republican-led states — Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas — have undergone redistricting to pick up a likely 16 GOP seats in the House.
New maps in California and Utah are projected to give Democrats six seats.
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